Our client is an established industrial company that designs and manufactures equipment for construction and material-processing applications. As part of a leading international engineering group, the company combines specialist product expertise and an entrepreneurial heritage with global R&D capabilities, commercial reach, and financial strength.

To lead the business into its next phase of profitable growth and continued integration, we are seeking a:

Business Unit Director

Main responsibilities

The Business Unit Director will have overall responsibility for the business, including P&L, operational excellence, scaling of operations, people and culture, and site performance. Market access and front-end sales are supported by the Group's global sales organization. The Business Unit Director's core mission is to build an operation that can scale efficiently and profitably.

Reporting to the Business President and serving as a member of the business management team, the successful candidate will be a visible leader locally and an active contributor within the international group. A key priority will be to guide the transition from a founder-led organization toward a scalable, digitally enabled, sustainable, and performance-oriented structure.

Key responsibilities will include:

Operational Excellence and Scaling

Hold overall accountability for site performance and ensure close alignment among Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and support functions.
Scale production, supply chain, planning, engineering, and quality to support growth while improving cost, delivery performance, and quality.
Lead the digitalization of operations, including planning, production control, and inventory management.
Elevate operational KPI framework (e.g., on-time delivery, lead time, inventory turns, cost per unit, quality, and safety), with a regular performance review routine.
Drive system support (ERP/MRP, planning, and BI tools) so decisions are timely and fact-based.
Set business-driven inventory and assortment strategies: what to stock, where, and at what level, balancing service level against working capital.
Build a lean, continuous-improvement culture with disciplined execution across the site.
Ensure compliance with Group policies, governance, quality standards, and EHS requirements.

Business Leadership and Commercial Alignment

Take full P&L accountability and lead the overall performance and profitable growth of the business.
Develop and execute the business strategy in alignment with the Group's objectives.
Partner closely with the Group's sales organization through Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) to align demand, capacity, and delivery performance.
Translate market and customer input into product, capacity, and operational priorities.

Organization and People Leadership

Lead, align, and develop the local management team and wider organization.
Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus, safety, and continuous improvement.
Lead organizational change and ensure clear communication and engagement throughout the transformation.
Strengthen leadership capability, organizational effectiveness, and succession within the business.

Change Management and Integration

Guide the transition from a founder-led business into a member of an international group while preserving valuable customer, product, and entrepreneurial strengths.
Replace founder-dependent, informal decision-making with transparent processes, data, and systems.
Own the implementation of the Group's governance, processes, standards, and ways of working.
Act as a visible, credible, and trusted leader across the organization.

Candidate profile

Relevant University Degree, preferably in Engineering, Business, or a related field.
Proven track record leading and scaling manufacturing operations with overall business or site responsibility, ideally in industrial or engineered equipment.
Hands-on experience of digital transformation in operations, such as ERP/MRP implementation, KPI frameworks, and data-driven decision-making.
Strong supply chain and inventory management skills, including working-capital optimization.
Background in lean and operational excellence methods.
Strong track record of improving profitability through operational performance.
Strong business judgment: turns operational data into financial and commercial decisions.
Effective, engaging people leadership, with the ability to build trust and credibility quickly across local and international stakeholders.
Proven ability to lead in entrepreneurial, evolving, and change-intensive environments.
Strategic mindset, hands-on execution, and willingness to maintain a substantial on-site presence, particularly during the transition.
Fluency in Italian and English.
Experience working with international, export-oriented, or dealer-led sales organizations is an advantage.